Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-12-17


of the heavy interest. Sometimes to-
ward the last of the Woo-ey, when two
or three different ones wish to borrow,
the rates offered are often as high
as seventy-five per cent, and in one in
stance that 1 know of, just before the
Chinese New Year, 100 per cent. was
bid on So Woo-ey. As there were
but three members that had not Dor.
rowed, the hard-up Celestial had only to
pay the heavy premium to two men.
Sometimes the Woo-ey is as low as fifty
cents a share, and l have known of
Woo-eys as high as $50 share. Those
who go into Woo-ey as an investment
and do not borrow themselves generally
get large interest for their money.
The Chinese, although they do not
use gold as token for money (silver
being their highest standard for metal
currency, use it largely for ornaments
and jewelry. The women deck their
hair with pins, combs and pendants
made of fine gold, and wear rings, brace
lets and anklets, if they can afford it,
while the men content themselves with
rings and buttons made of gold.
1t is common sight in San Francisco
to see well-to-do Chinese with double
row of gold dollars on either side of his
coat, running the full length, that are
used as buttons.
Silver for ornaments and jewelry Is
largely utilized when circumstances will
not allow using the more costly metal.
For gems or stones the jadestone is the
favorite. There is not only an intrinsic
but superstitious value attached to
this stone. The fayorite ornament foI
both male and female is jade-stone
l,,oo 81 10 n ~ Tho ua1np
of single bracelet varies according to
$3.50 is paid The jade is semi-trans-
parent stone nearly as hard as a dia-
mond and of milky or smoky white color
notified with green and blue. When cir
cumstances admit a jade-stone bracelet is
placed upon the wrist of child and
allowed to remain there. AS the child
grows up the hand naturally increases in
size, so that in the course of time it is i'm
possible to remove the bracelet without
breaking it.
The superstitious value of the jade
stone is that the owner of good stone
will never suffer with hunger The sn-
perstition is probably true, for one would
not naturally suffer much from hunger be-
fore he sold the stone, which would place
him in pecuniary position to buy food.
When the money received by the sale of
the stone is gone, the belief holds good,
even though the believer might starve
to death, because having sold his stone
he no longer is the possessor of charm
to prevent him from suffering with
hunger.
Another belief is that if any one wear
ing jade-stone bracelet should fall from
the top of building or some other high
place he will not be killed unless his or
her bracelet should be broken.
Next to the jade-stone, the diamond is
the favorite-the Chinese are good judges
of diamonds, and often buy them when
in foreign countries as safe investment
for their money. Nearly all the Chinese
in Cuba go there to work on five or
seven-year contract, receiving only
small amount of the pay until the con-
tract expires, when they get the larger
portion of the money they have earned
in one sum.
AS rule they invest their money in
diamonds. If they carried their earnings
away in coin it would be hard to con-
ceal it, and they would have to pay
duty on all coin taken from the island;
then they have little or no trouble in
smuggling the diamonds into the port of
San Francisco, where they go en- route
for their home in China.
1t is common occurrence for Chi
nese from Cuba, who has his wealth in
the form of diamonds, when about to
pass the custom-house inspectors in San
Francisco to place his diamonds in his
mouth and if he finds the search is too
rigid he can easily swallow them-and
as soon as he gets ashore an emetic will
shortly bring the diamonds to light. AS he
is naturally close buyer and brings the
stones into this country without payment
of duty, he has little if any difficulty in
disposing of them at price in advance
of what he paid.
AS people the Chinese males are bet
ter educated than any other race of peo-
pie in the world. Education to certain
extent is compulsory for all Chinese
males, although the mass cannot do
much more than read and write; still to
that extent they are all educated. 1t has
been the policy of the Chinese govern
ment for hundreds of years to select a
certain number of boys from each dis
trict and educate them for historians and
writers. Their work is never completed,
for as long as they live and are able to
do anything they continue to study and
write. Every five years they pass an ex-
| animation and, according to their pro-
ficiency, they are promoted to office or
rank AS rule no Chinese can hope to
attain prominence in any civil or mill
tary Office pertaining to the government
unless he has succeeded as scholar, for
the Chinese believe no man can sue
coed as a scholar unless he has ability;
and if he possess ability why then, as
matter of course, he is suitable person
to hold office; but no matter how high
the office may be he must continue his
studies, the duties of his office being
generally performed by deputy.
The highest office in the gift of the
Emperor is within the reach of Chinese
of low birth provided that he succeeds as
a scholar Although, as rule, boys Sc
lected for students are taken from fam
lilies of the better class, yet all Chinese
venerate learning, so much so that in
San Francisco the Six Companies employ
a Chinese whose duty is to walk over the
streets in the Chinese quarter and pick
up every scrap or piece of paper he
can find that has Chinese writing on
it; for, as they express it, any one who
has ability sufficient to write in Chinese
should not have the work of his brain
cast in the street, where the winds may
blow it about and the dirt defile it.
So man is employed to gather up
these scraps of paper, which are after
ward sorted over. The pieces that ere
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